Archaic occupation 1600s-1900s
What was a milliner?
A milliner made and trimmed women's hats and sold the ribbons, lace, and finery that went with them. The name began as Milaner, a dealer in Milan goods. It was a major employer of young single women in every sizeable town. You will find the term in British and American records, mostly 1600s-1900s.
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FAQs
What is a milliner in modern terms?+
A hat maker. Treat the match as a guide rather than a swap: tools and markets changed, so read the title against the record's own date (1600s-1900s).
Why do census occupation columns use words nobody says now?+
Enumerators wrote down whatever the household told them, spelled by ear, and local trade slang went straight onto the form. Directories, apprenticeship papers, and wills often carry the fuller wording for the same person.
Where do these definitions come from?+
They are drawn from period dictionaries, government archive glossaries, and standard genealogy references, cross-checked against each other; provenance is documented with the dataset. Inside AncestorIQ, Deep Research reads the record itself and explains terms like this in context, against your ancestor's own document.
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